1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally concerned with a machine for forming spaced parallel grooves in concrete road surfaces Such grooves serve to improve tractive friction between vehicle tires and the road surface and act as miniature channels for draining water from the road surface, thereby minimizing water films that can promote skidding and loss of vehicle control due to hydroplaning.
2. Description of Prior Developments
Machines for cutting transverse grooves in road surfaces, i.e. grooves that run transverse to the longitudinal axis or center line of the roadway are required to move transversely across the road surface. The rear road wheels of the machine are located behind the rotary cutting head and the front road wheels are located in front of the rotary cutting head. This positioning of the road wheels has heretofore prevented the cutting head from achieving a full traverse cut from curb to curb in a single pass of the machine. To achieve a full traverse of the cutting head, it is necessary to move the machine as far as possible in one pass, and to then turn the machine around (end for end) to make a second pass to cover the space not covered in the first pass. This procedure consumes time and thus increases the total cost of the road-grooving operation.
An example of such a machine is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,685 to J. Arnswald. Additional groove-cutting machines are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,316 to C. W. Hatcher, U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,146 to S. Ellis, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,969 to J. Fowkes.